Difference between Mentor and Teacher
When it comes to education, knowledge, and guidance, we rely on a number of individuals such as teachers, mentors, educators, coaches, and tutors. Each of these individuals plays a unique role in the life of the student. First, let us define these two words ‘mentor’ and ‘teacher’.
A teacher can be identified as an individual who imparts knowledge and information to the students. Teachers instruct the students and explain so that the students can grasp new knowledge. Teachers can be seen mostly in formal educational settings such as schools and educational institutes. A teacher is often believed as someone who has an excellent academic knowledge that allows him / her to instruct the students in a very effective manner.
However, educational sociologists believe that this is only the traditional role of a teacher, and it should expand further. This expansion involves character building of students where the teacher is not confined to imparting knowledge but also molding the students into being good citizens.
Unlike a teacher whose primary function is to impart knowledge to the students, mentors act as advisors. A person who is being mentored by an experienced individual is known as a mentee. A mentor usually is much more experienced than a mentee and uses his knowledge to guide the mentee. In industrial settings, mentors are appointed to overlook the work of new employees. These mentors not only guide the employees, but advise them on the possible issues that might arise within the work environment and how to handle difficult situations.
Unlike in the case of a teacher, a mentor does not assess the academic knowledge of the individual through a series of test. He also does not use methods of instruction and explanation to teach the individual. The primary focus of a mentor is to build the capabilities of the mentee through guidance. A mentor shares his wide range of experiences with the mentee and allows him to grow and develop. A mentor does not instruct the mentee but enables the individual to find his path.
Source: https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-mentor-and-vs-teacher/
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